Greetings...

Just wanted to get everyone's opinions on the mixing of the leak.

First of all, can anyone tell me whether the original leak is still the only one available, or is there a better quality one that has been available since the original MP4 one?

I ask this because I find it unusual that in many of the band's recent interviews they have commented on how they feel they acheived their "perfect" mix for this album, where each element is finally represented equally in terms of balance. I initially understood this to mean less reliance on the vocals to be on top of the mix, but to make them more or less blend in to the overall song, rather than be the focal point.

Having a sound engineering background, I tend to really focus on the production quality of any album I hear, but I'm left confused by 10000 days.

I will say, I think Vicarious stands head and shoulders above the rest in it's overall impact, simply because of the sonic power it seems to have. The guitar, like on the rest of the songs, is balls out huge, but so are the drums and bass, which make this track a monster. The vocals on Vicarious have been brought down a little bit, but not a lot more than the songs from Lateralus. I think the mix on this track is excellent, but after that.......

The rest of the leaked copy of the album seems to sometimes vary in its clarity, especially when it comes to the bass and drums. Justin does some amazing work, but I find it to be very muddy sometimes, but just perfect at others. In Wings pt. 2, the riff he's playing is pretty sweet, but I find it really hard to distinguish at points, as it seems to be really low-mid heavy. However on "The Pot", it is pure punch and crystal clear. As for Danny's drumming, Vicarious delivers the kind of sound I expected, but suffers from the same problems that the bass does on other tracks. I find this strange, especially since all articles/reviews have indicated that he's a standout on the album, but I find myself straining to really get into the drumming because it seems kind of muddied in the background.

On the other hand, Adam's guitar is WAY out front on every track on this thing....for no benefit that I can hear, since his playing is neither outstanding or seems like it should always be the focus of the song. It is pretty rockin' in some parts, but it's mostly power chord chugging or rehashed sound arpeggiated riffs that I wish I could turn down to hear more of the interesting bass/percussion/vocal work.

Anyway, flame me or give your thoughts or whatever it is that happens to Newbies here. (I sense we're not welcome.)


Late.

I agree 100%. The Vicarious mix is incredible! The rest of the album is 'blah'....